Odissi Festival at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte (UNCC)

The Tenth Odissi International festival was held at UNCC. A three day event, it featured many dancers from all across the US. The last performance of the first day belonged to the renowned Sujata Mohapatra, visiting from Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India. She was accompanied by a live orchestra, also from Bhubaneshwar.

My own first introduction to Sujata Mohapatra was through means of a DVD which I watched over and over again like one possessed. Two dances in that DVD are especially dear to me: a Mangalacharan (https://youtu.be/1wX5yHh6DHc), and a Krishna Leela (https://youtu.be/PGrgqMP4mYs).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wX5yHh6DHc

A Mangalacharan is the first dance in a traditional Odissi performance. The dancer offers her prayers first to Lord Jagannath, an incarnation of Vishnu and the presiding deity of Odissi. Next the dancer offers obeisance to her guru, to the musicians, to the audience, and finally to Mother Earth upon which she will stamp. Then follows the main body of the Mangalacharan danced to a deity of the dancer's choice. This Mangalacharan is danced to Ganapati.

The Krishna Leela in her DVD

Abha and I, driving two and a half hours from Cary to Charlotte on Saturday, missed about half the festival, mostly because neither could not take Friday off from work. Also because I discovered, en route, that I had left my camera batteries and charger in New York where Abha and I had been to attend the New York Kathak Festival --- about which more in another blog post. All of Saturday morning was spent driving frantically around Charlotte looking for the right battery and a charger. On our way back, Sunday, Abha and I had to stop by at Asha and Bala's lovely home in Fayetteville to which they were bidding goodbye after eighteen happy years there. So we left early on Sunday afternoon, shortly following the conclusion of a workshop taught by Sujata. The Odissi International Festival is the brainchild of Shyamhari Chakra, dance reviewer for The Hindu. 2019's Odissi International Festival, the tenth, was, for the very first time, held outside of India. It was hosted by the Department of Dance of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC). Kaustavi Sarkar, appointed assistant professor at UNCC in 2018 following the completion of her PhD in Dance from Ohio State University, was the prime-mover behind this event. Kaustavi herself danced a very lovely piece set to Malhar by way of a preface to Sujata Mohapatra's performance. Not having had time to don the usual Odissi battle-gear and war-paint, Kaustavi danced as she was. No one missed the usual Odissi accoutrements. Certainly I did not. Her's was a very joyous dance, and most opportune as well because it had been raining cats and dogs outside almost the whole day long although the rain had bated by the time of her performance.

Kaustavi Sarkar has the sort of face that reminds one of portraits by the Flemish master Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). In processing this photograph I have attempted to mimic dabs from a painter's brush and to suggest the sort of light Vermeer favored.

I was surprised by the number of Odissi dancers at the festival. They came from as far afield as Houston, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and San Fransisco, California. I met some old friends, some for the first time in person, and I made a few new ones. I will write more about the experience by and by, but allow me for now to share a few lovely pictures.